Something Beautiful
by Ember Glass
Summary: "Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are." -Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger


_Something Beautiful_

"_Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are."_

_Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger_

For Blair, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's how something looks that makes it beautiful. Then again, it's how one perceives it to which makes it something gorgeous. For instance, she loves going to art galleries and exploring the paintings. She analyzes the things she sees from fashion to the canvas. Nate on the other hand wouldn't know the difference between a real Picasso and Van Gogh. To him it's all the same; ugly and gross.

So the art gallery in the UES is Blair's happy place, somewhere she can go to interpret and stare and not be scolded or be doing the scolding for it.

Though sometimes she wishes she had someone else to share it with. Sometimes.

…

Dan believes beauty is in how you act. The gestures, the words spoken or in his way, written are what really show true beauty. It's why he writes. Because when he writes he knows he's creating something stunning, his actions are aiding the formation of something striking.

And when he goes to the art gallery it's not to stare at the pictures to figure out what the artist is trying to say, it's tracing the paint strokes with his eyes to see how they were acting when they were inspired to create their masterpiece. He himself has never been good at art, but he admires the people who have the talent.

One of his favourite artists is someone who goes by the name of Gossip Girl. She has the loveliest of all brushstrokes and her canvas can be so dark and light, contrasting on one piece to being a compliment on the other. Her paintings always stump him, because he never knows what she means when she created them.

She's a mystery, one that he'd really like to solve. And he is solving it in his own way through writing.

He's created a character based off of her and writing his own conclusion, his own interpretations though Dan has a feeling he's completely off. Still, he figures creating one is the best substitute for not even knowing.

Though it's killing him inside.

…

Blair sets her pen down after finishing another day at the fashion magazine. She flips her hair back, grabs that pumpkin latte and heads home after another tiring day.

She does like her job, it was fascinating when she started, but she feels that she's lost that spark. It was fun but now…

Now it seems like she's stuck on repeat. She sees the same flaws over and over again and no matter how often she exclaims that plaid dresses are not fetch, people seem to keep doing wearing it anyway.

So what's the point?

…

Dan finishes his book and hands it into his editor. He sits in front of his laptop twirling a pen, incredibly satisfied with himself. He's written a bestseller, he knows it.

It'll probably be even better than _Inside._

He grins and sets the pen down while getting up from his chair. He tosses on his jacket and boots and heads outside.

There is only one place he wants to go now and as odd as it is, he feels he needs to share his soon to be success with her.

…

Blair heads to the gallery to wander around a take a look. She smiles as she feels a sense of peace wash over her. She makes her way to her favourite spot, waving to the security guards as she passes them by.

It's not the biggest section but it's her favourite. There's just something about looking at those paintings that bring tears to her eyes.

It's when she stops in her tracks that her secret place isn't so secretive anymore. Out of nowhere is none other than Dan Humphrey standing there in his jeans, plaid shirt and leather jacket with that falling apart satchel swung around his side looking hideous as always.

Blair stomps over (she doesn't actually stop. She wouldn't dare ruin her Jimmy Choos) and grabs his arm spinning him around. Both of their eyes widen, not really believing the other one to be there.

"Humphrey."

"Waldorf."

"What are you doing here?"

"What any normal person does in an art gallery, I'm looking at the paintings."

"Please. As if you're small mind could understand the mind of Gossip Girl."

Dan narrows his eyes. Blair is acting all high and mighty (which is her usual behaviour) and for once he just wishes he could knock her off the pedestal she's placed herself on.

"I'll have you know I've just written a bestseller based off of her paintings."

Blair's stares at the curly haired man hard, shock flowing through her system all too fiercely. It's trying to tell her something but she isn't entirely sure what it is.

"You're an idiot Humphrey. What could a book possibly tell anyone about Gossip Girl and her works?"

"Look at her brush strokes on her paintings. See this one? The _Who Am I_ painting? The strokes are hard and brutal, almost to the point that she tore the canvas. She was angry when she painted this."

"I disagree."

"Of course you do."

Blair shoots Dan a look, unhappy with his assumption with her. He really knows nothing.

"It's all about the colours she used. This one is streaked with shades of blue. Notice how there is no yellow though? She wasn't happy or angry painting this, she was sad and confused. It's all blues, dark over here by the white figure and stretches out to the light colours. She's questioning who she is. She doesn't know."

"That ridiculous. She most likely had just had a fight. Her strokes are intense. She used a big brush here, but then around the figure used a small one. Something big had happened around her causing her to focus on the figure in the middle. The small strokes are delicate, almost as if she could break the figure. It means she is fragile."

"You're drooling Humphrey. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were in love with Gossip Girl."

With that Blair turns and walks away. She's had enough of Dan Humphrey for one day. Now she just wants to go home and do what she does best.

…

Dan meanwhile watches the petite brunette walk away. Her heels are so thin he feels like one more step and she'll break her ankle. Not that it matters. Anything Blair does is the least of his concern. Really.

But he finds his feet carrying him to his sister's café.

Jenny Humphrey may have been a mess in the past years but now she's grown up, no longer sporting the dark makeup though she still has the platinum blonde locks. She's reveled in her simplicity and wears casual t-shirts with jeans and studs. Nothing big or fancy. She's left that life behind.

It's not busy in her café _Pretty Reckless_ when Dan gets there, and he walks up. Jenny knows what to get him based off of his mood. Today he's pissed off which means an iced latte to cool him down.

"Hey big bro."

"Hey Jenny."

He slides into a stool by the counter waiting for his drink from his sister. Jenny walks over and slides the iced drink as well as a muffin.

"It's on the house."

"Jenny…"

"Pretty Reckless is doing well enough. I can sacrifice an iced latte and a muffin. Besides, you look like you need it."

Dan picks a piece of the muffin and pops it into his mouth.

"You'd be right about that."

"Talk to me Humphrey."

"Please don't call me that. That's what she calls me."

"Ah. You had a run in with the Queen B."

"And she stings brutally. She insulted my opinion of Gossip Girl's work, who by the way, my entire novel is based off of. She acted like I knew nothing when in reality I probably know more than her."

Jenny continues to clean the mugs as she listens to her brother's rants. She shakes her head in amusement because Dan, as much as she loves him, can be quite ignorant and stubborn. He's closed minded and likes to see things from a certain perspective i.e. his.

Soon he's finished talking and Jenny sets the mug down, leaning against the counter with her arms and gives her older sibling a pointed look.

"Dan."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever considered looking at it from her perspective?"

Dan almost spits out is drink. "You're kidding right?"

Jenny shakes her head. "Dan, art galleries are the kind of place I can see Blair going. It makes sense that she can see it one way. The next time you go, try looking at the paintings from her perspective. See them how she does."

"That's ridiculous."

"Whatever Dan. It's my suggestion and eventually you'll realize I'm right. There's more to beauty than words Dan."

Her brother finishes his drink and kisses her on the cheek all while shrugging on his coat.

"That's debateable."

Jenny merely sighs as she sees her brother leave from the front entrance. The bell by the side one goes off though and in comes the source of her brother's frustrations herself. She's wearing what she always wears when comes to visit. Jeans, flats and a plaid shirt with that leather purse she brings everywhere with her.

Jenny and Blair didn't have the greatest of beginnings but over time with the pair maturing (and Jenny leaving the UES) they've found common ground. They'd consider themselves friends though not besties. That's something neither one is quite ready for yet.

"Hey Blair. The usual?"

"Yeah that'd be great. Thanks."

Jenny goes to work while observing the brunette. Blair seems to be more fidgety than normal which tells the blonde that despite appearances, something's off with her customer.

"So, Blair, what's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm probably going to head to my loft and get some work done."

"You mean the thing you hate the most?"

"It's not that bad."

"You've been complaining about it every time you come in here. You do know if your boss saw you, she'd fire you."

"That's why I live in Brooklyn now. So no one finds out."

The blonde continues to clean the mug, knowing her friend craves privacy from the outside world. Blair used to relish in it but a lot has changed since then, mainly because there was no longer Serena or Chuck in the picture. In fact the Basss' and the Van der Woodsens had disappeared completely bringing the paparazzi with them. There were new families ruling the UES now other than the Waldorfs; new families with more drama than ever.

"I know that. But you have to admit your job has a lot to do with the UES. Maybe you need to cut it out of your life once and for all."

"And disappoint my parents? No chance."

"I think you're underestimating them. They might be more accepting than you think."

Blair shrugs and packs herself up to head back home. "Thanks for the drink."

"No problem. It's on the house."

Blair simply nods and leaves and Jenny shakes her head, knowing both of them are idiots and she should really just not get involved. But she happens to like the idiots so she just has to mingle despite her gut telling her they can figure it out on their own.

…

Dan reads the email from his editor about his book. She loves it and agrees with him. _XOXO_ will be the next bestseller. There's no doubt about it. It's killer she says, the mystery intrigues and the romance inspires. She tells him he outdid himself this time and he fist pumps the air.

There's nothing better than success.

Grinning ear to ear he packs up and heads off to the gallery. There's nowhere else he wants to be right now than with his inspiration.

When he arrives there is no one in the gallery but there is a new painting. Only this time, it's not a painting but a black and white photograph. The faces though are blacked out so the identities are hidden. He looks to the title. It says _Manhattan's Elite_.

"She's becoming daring."

Dan whips around to see Blair standing behind him, her eyes directly on the art before them.

"I didn't know she was into photographs."

"She's not. Haven't you heard? People are sending her photos and she's creating her own interpretation of them."

"Since you're such an expert then, what does this one mean?"

Blair walks forward and comes to stand at Dan's side. Electricity shoots between the two of them and Dan has to look away, denying anything that occurred. He's just not used to standing beside the doe eyed brunette. Not anymore anyway.

_Okay Humphrey_, he thinks, _she does not have doe eyes. Get yourself together!_

"It's showing us, the children of the UES, for empty shells. You see the bodies but not the faces because truth be told, we don't matter. People want the figures but not the real thing. Not the emotions or the minds of us, just our bodies and the messes they are."

Dan turns to look at Blair whose eyes have now connected with his. She's challenging him in her glare and he looks back to the art.

"I can't see it."

"That because you, Humphrey, have the openness of a close minded man. You can't see things beyond your expectations. That's where you fall short."

"It'd be easier if she was here. She could settle the score."

"And what? You'll take her out on a date as a reward?"

"It wouldn't be a reward Waldorf."

"You like a girl you've never met and the reason why is because she paints?"

"It's what's behind the artwork. You should know that better than anyone."

Blair shrugs. "I'm not interested in people because of what they can do Humphrey. I like people because of how they look. Simple as that."

"That's not shallow at all."

"It's not. Not from my perspective, but you wouldn't know anything about that would you? Old fashioned Dan Humphrey, too stuck in his ways to ever get what he wants."

"That's not true."

"Prove it then."

With that Blair turns and walks away, not interested in seeing Humphrey fall flat on his face. Before she'd love it but now, she just wants to go home and relax without the worry of tomorrow setting itself in her bones.

…

Dan turns his eyes to the photograph as he hears the heels click away into the distance. He tries to see the art from his perspective, but it still makes no sense. There are no brush strokes on this so he can't tell how Gossip Girl felt. Unless…

Jenny's words come back to him, urging him to just try it. See it from her point of view. Even Blair's challenge pokes and prods him, insisting he's incapable of seeing it any other way.

So he tilts his head, and tries to look at the photo from a different angle. Blair's angle.

It makes sense then. Blair's comments make sense and fit perfectly with the art. It's saddening and blinding in truth all at the same time. His heart goes out to the teenagers in the old photograph. They're all grown up now but in this photo…

They're standing in a line. Dan can recognize them because he took the picture. He doesn't know how Gossip Girl got it and he hopes that somehow she knew he took the photo and that's the reason why she turned it into art, though he doubts it.

The faces are blacked out, but the bodies are vibrant in the black and white photo. There's Nate, Serena, Chuck, and Blair. The four sole elites. No one else can ever truly fit the despair of that photo the way those four can.

Dan's eyes turn to where Blair had disappeared and he wonders just how she knew the truth of the art. He knows she's smart, she's even sent him fighting for top of the class a couple of times but there is no way she knows all of that from just glancing at a photograph.

Dan shakes his head and walks away. He has other things to worry about.

…

_XOXO_ comes out and Blair debates about buying it. She knows it's by Dan, she knows it's about Gossip Girl as evident by the title. But she's a little afraid it may be a little too much like _Inside._ Only this time it's his interpretation about who Gossip Girl is. Still, she's curious to see how Dan's views the artist.

So she reads the book and realizes that Dan doesn't just like Gossip Girl, he's in love with her and understands her better than the girl probably knows herself. Blair reminisces about their bittersweet past and in that moment she misses it, something that has never happened to her before.

The brunette's eyes can only get wider as she never puts the book down until she's done. And when she is she feels a twinge in her heart and heads down to Jenny's café. She needs a pumpkin latte and advice stat.

…

Jenny leans on the counter reading a book. Her café is empty again, the rush just ended and it's only when she hears the bell to the side that she looks up.

The blonde sets the book to the side and places on hand on her hip, still leaning on the counter, and directs her gaze towards the frantic brunette.

"What's got you freaked this time?"

Blair slides into a seat across the counter and fiddles with her hands. Jenny raises an eyebrow, something's really got Blair freaked, and hands the girl a pumpkin latte to calm her.

"What do you know about your brother's new book?"

Now both of Jenny's eyebrows are raised and she gives Blair an inquisitive look. That's what's got her freaked?

"It's about his favourite artist Gossip Girl. It's about the mystery behind her name and who she really is."

"Have you read it yet?"

"I just started it. Why?"

"Well I have."

Jenny's eyes go wide at this. "It came out yesterday! How…?"

"I know. But that doesn't matter. I realized something or I guess more so had an epiphany and I just…I didn't know who to talk to and you're the best person for this and with what had happened before between us and just..."

"Blair breathe. You're babbling."

"Right sorry. It's just…I like your brother. A lot."

This takes Jenny aback. She didn't think either would realize it so soon and she's glad, they'll make a killer couple, but there is something Blair isn't telling and it's making the blonde worried.

"And how did this come about?"

"I was reading the book and your brother is in love with someone who doesn't exist. He should be in love with me."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then…"

"So what do I do?"

"You go and tell him."

"I can't just tell him!"

Jenny rolls her eyes. Of course doing the simple thing wasn't Blair's style.

"Fine. You win him over through several romantic notions. Like the movie _You've Got Mail._ Make him prefer you over Gossip Girl. Granted you aren't her like Tom Hanks was the guy in the movie but still…same premise. Sort of."

"Right. Okay. I can do that."

Blair nods to herself and gets up, heading back to her place. Operation get Humphrey was about to begin. Jenny just watches her and rolls her eyes. Blair Waldorf, choosing the complicated way since the day she was born.

…

So it begins.

Dan heads down to Jenny's café, ready to grab a coffee and head to work. Blair on the other hand is looking over his schedule that Jenny provided her with. The blonde thinks she's crazy and maybe she is but Blair prefers to look at it as desperate.

She really needs to win him over and that is no easy task with their history.

So she purposely runs into him as he leaves the café. He's shocked and she pretends she is.

"Humphrey?"

"Blair? What are you doing here?"

"I come here to get pumpkin lattes. What are you doing here?"

"My sister works here."

"I know. She's pretty good at her job isn't she?"

With that Blair walks past Dan to the counter where Jenny simply looks on amused at the scene before her. Dan's eyes follow her, absolutely bewildered, and leaves the café in shock.

What had just happened?

…

Later he's back home in his loft and the interaction keeps playing in his head. Why would Blair Waldorf be in Brooklyn of all places? It makes no sense.

His mind strays to the brunette. She looked so beautiful today and the way she acted towards him…

There was no malice, no second intent. She was there to get a pumpkin latte, something that he can always associate with her. He's confident she never gets anything else. He begins to wonder what it might be like to pursue a relationship with Blair again but shakes the thoughts away. He wants to pursue something with the artist Gossip Girl. She is his muse, his inspiration for, well, his life.

So he puts Blair to the back of his mind and focuses on getting Gossip Girl, whoever she is.

…

Blair heads into Jenny's café and waves hi to the blonde. So far the plan has been going smoothly, but Dan still fails to catch on. She'll keep trying though. Blair Waldorf always gets what she wants.

"Hey Jenny. Hear anything yet?"

Jenny focuses on making the latte for her friend while also talking at the same time.

"Not yet. I think you're plan might be failing though, He's got a date tonight."

"A date? With who?"

"None other than his muse herself. Apparently he got in contact with her over the internet. He won't tell me how but he asked her out and she said yes. I'm betting it isn't her though. Someone like that is not that easy to find."

"Huh…where is this date taking place exactly?"

"Here."

Blair nods to herself and Jenny can see a malicious glint in her eye.

"What exactly are you planning?"

"Nothing that isn't going to help me get my man."

And with that Blair is off to her loft leaving Jenny shaking her head once again. These two…

…

Dan sits in Jenny's café waiting. It's late and the only light is from the candles at the tables and the tea lights strung around the room. There's a live band playing soft music and Dan can tell Jenny planned this especially for his date. She wants him to be happy after all.

He's excited and nervous. What if he doesn't like Gossip Girl after all? What if she's a terrible person, seeking to destroy all of humanity? Granted that's a bit too dramatic, but Dan's nerves are eating him up.

It's when Blair Waldorf walks in that they fade away. She walks straight to the counter and Dan tilts his head. She doesn't look like what he would have expected.

She's wearing black leggings tucked into tan leather boots. She wears a dark blue jean jacket and her shirt is burgundy with a colourful scarf wrapped around her neck, hanging down her chest. Her hair is it's natural curly self, with the bangs being pushed back by a headband. She's talking to Jenny and Dan can't look away.

Why can't he look away?

She turns around and her eyes go wide as she sees Dan staring at her. She smiles and walks over, plopping herself in the seat across from him. He looks to Jenny for help but she just shrugs. The two idiots can sort themselves out now. She's done her part.

Dan turns to look at the brunette who's staring at the band playing. She really is quite pretty when she's being natural rather than her stuck up self.

"You can't sit here."

"Why not?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Who?"

"My date."

Blair looks around the café. "I don't see anyone coming."

"Well, she's not here yet."

"Ah. I see."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You've been stood up."

"I have not."

"Really? Well here you're sitting, by yourself in such a romantic setting and what? It's been a half hour since you two agreed to meet?"

Dan sighs and turns to face Blair. "She'll come."

"Right."

The pair sits in silence. It isn't awkward since both are listening to the music. It's chilling almost, so faint yet so beautiful.

"You know, sometimes I wonder…" speaks up Blair, her eyes still trained on the band playing. Dan's eyes though, they're no longer focused where the brunette's are but on her herself.

"What?"

Blair turns to face the man across from her, admiring his curly hair and pointed nose. He's quite good looking now that she really takes him in through her eyes.

"What happened to us. If I hadn't been Blair Waldorf then and you hadn't been Dan Humphrey…and we had just, well, met…"

Dan himself has gone down this road a thousand times. He's always wondering just what went wrong between them so long ago, or if maybe they had met in a different setting and time. But that isn't what happened and he's taught himself not to focus on what could have been so much.

But he goes there anyway.

"I know."

"Yeah, we would have exchanged numbers, and one of us would call right away, not waiting twenty four hours, asking the other to go out for coffee or something."

"Blair…" Dan says so softly. He can't bear to hear her say these words that he'd wish she had said long ago. But she keeps going. Always the persistent one.

"And you and I would never have been at war. The only thing we'd fight about is what some painting meant."

Dan chuckles and looks at his coffee then back to her. "Well who fights about that?"

Blair grins and Dan swears his heart stops if only for a moment. "Well some people. Not us of course."

Dan peers at the girl before him. He can swear she's blushing as she traces the rim of her mug and his heart begins to beat rapidly. It's unfair that she still has the effect on him.

"We would never do such a thing."

"If only."

The pair stares at each other silently and Jenny stands at the other side of the room in absolute fascination. She's got to hand it to Blair. That girl is good.

The bell rings and Jenny looks up only to see a brunette with hazel eyes rather than the chocolate ones her brother loves so much look around until she spots the pair, and heads over to the table. Jenny can't stop her or she'll reveal her involvement and she just watches as everything Blair has been building up to crumble in front of her.

…

Blair tucks a curl behind her ear and blushes. She's glad she's done this. She's finally going to get someone who loves her for her including the bad and good.

Unfortunately the pair is interrupted by a seductive voice.

"Excuse me."

Both look up to see a girl with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with golden eye shadow and hazel eyes. Her dress glitters in a painful gold and all Blair can think about is how tacky it is.

"You're Dan Humphrey right?"

"Yeah."

"It's me. The girl you've been messaging."

Blair watches as Dan's eyes light up and she can't help but feel her heart shatter. She slowly stands up from the table and offers her seat to the girl.

"I'll catch you around Dan."

The light goes out in his eyes as he turns to watch Blair walk away. He's glad he found Gossip Girl, but something's telling him that Blair's the one he should be chasing after.

After all, it's the first time he hears her say his name in a very long time.

…

Dan likes Georgina. She's pretty and is easy on the eyes. Her taste in clothing is a little much and Jenny doesn't seem to like it when she's around but overall Georgina is a great girl.

But he's not…happy.

Dan can't explain the wretched feeling in his gut that not everything is as it is supposed to be so he heads to the gallery to look at Georgina's paintings.

It doesn't suit her though. The paintings…they don't suit her. The photograph makes sense at least. From all of their conversations, Georgina seems to be rather judgemental of the UES. She admits to wanting to get inside the inner circle for a while, but she finds more enjoyment in watching them burn.

She scares Dan a little.

As he walks into the gallery he sees Blair standing there. Her hair is down again, falling in the gentlest of waves. She's wearing a blue business dress with killer heels that have to be hurting her feet. She looks nice, but not as great as she had at the café that night which plagues him for some reason.

He watches her make her way around the room until she stops to one he hasn't seen before. It's titled, _Without You, I'm Nothing._ It's no photograph but a painting like Gossip Girl's older works. Dan walks up beside Blair.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"She's got a new one."

"Yeah."

Dan looks to Blair and she seems distant though her presence reassures him. He glances back to the painting and he wonders what Blair thinks it means.

"What do you think it means?"

"Well, it's an apology."

"How do you know?"

"There's a lot of blue and purples swirling together. The purple is designed to look like someone on their knees. And then there's the green vertical line, that's the person the apology is going to."

Dan nods and bows his head, looking towards the ground.

"So you and Gossip Girl. Guess you found her huh."

"Yeah. She's pretty great."

"I'm glad. You deserve someone who makes you happy Dan."

His knees shake and Dan swears he's about to collapse. He watches as Blair smiles a small smile and walks away. He looks to the painting again and it just doesn't seem like Georgina could have created it. His eyes drift to the small xoxo in the corner, the usual signature for Gossip Girl's works. He narrows his eyes at it, even to the point where he's bent over, his nose almost touching the canvas. The xoxo, it's not in the same style as Georgina writes hers.

He's surprised he hasn't noticed earlier. Georgina always has fancy loops with hers and puts far more together than two x's and two o's.

No, Gossip Girl's xoxo are simpler, more refined. He looks up to where Blair had disappeared earlier and figures that Gossip Girl's xoxos are more like Blair which means only one thing.

Georgina can't be Gossip Girl.

…

He meets her for a coffee at Jenny's. His sister watches from a distance with a keen eye in case anything goes wrong and her brother ends up becoming a mess. Georgina walks in wearing too much leather and gold for his liking and she smiles and him, kissing his cheek and sliding into the chair across from him.

Dan doesn't know why he hasn't asked earlier if Georgina was Gossip Girl, it should have been the first thing he did, but he didn't and he now he has to face the consequences.

"Georgina, there's something I have to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Are you the artist, Gossip Girl?"

Georgina laughs out loud and Dan runs a hand through his hair. Now comes the moment of truth.

"As if. I work for her agent. I'm the one who deals with her fans and all the things they send in to her. I can't paint or draw for my life."

Dan sits in shock as the truth sets in. He's got it all wrong. Georgina isn't Gossip Girl. He looks at her, she's still laughing and he realizes he has to break up with her. Truth be told he really doesn't like her, and he was only with her under false pretences.

"We need to break up."

The laughter stops.

"What?"

"You're not who I thought you were."

"Wait. You were only going out with me because you thought I was her? You're such a prick!"

Georgina throws the scalding liquid onto Dan's nice clean shirt staining it a dirty brown. She sneers and gets up, almost knocking the table over as she does. She flips her hair, slaps Dan and storms out of the café.

Dan meanwhile shakes his hand while examining the damage done to his shirt. It was one of his favourites too. Jenny motions him over and he proceeds to go behind the counter into the back. He tosses off the shirt and Jenny gives him a V-neck. She's always prepared nowadays.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I saw that went well."

Dan shoots his sister a look. She shrugs back in response, leaving him to clean himself up before he joins her. Once he comes out from the back she fixes him up a cappuccino. That'll improve his mood.

"So I'm guessing Gossip Girl wasn't as great as you thought."

Dan stares at his hands until his sister pushes the beverage his way. He smiles in thanks and takes a sip. It warms him as it goes down, and he's grateful for his sister's café.

"She's not her."

"What?"

"She's not Gossip Girl. I thought that if I met her, she'd be the one. I was clearly wrong."

"Dan, you fell in love with something that was impossible. You loved the way Gossip Girl painted, the way she acted in her art. But you didn't fall in love with her. You were living in a fantasy, one that I'm glad you've finally snapped out of."

"I guess I was pretty dumb wasn't I?"

Jenny only nods and Dan sighs. He really screwed up.

"You try too hard to find beauty in everything Dan by the way you believe beauty is. But sometimes beauty isn't just in the looks or what people say. Sometimes people are just something beautiful for no reason at all."

With that Jenny turns around and heads to deal with another customer. Her brother just sits there until finally, he decides to go back to the gallery. It's going to close soon so he runs up the massive steps when he gets there, almost tripping as he does so, and heads to the gallery that started it all.

Dan walks inside and looks at all the art, every single piece of it and it's like a puzzle which is coming together.

He's shocked that he didn't see it before. How could he have been so blind? But then again in some ways, he was hoping that Gossip Girl was her.

…

Blair sits in front of her canvas smiling at her latest piece. She grins, knowing it's one of her best yet. She's wearing a jean shirt two sizes too big to the point where it hangs like a baggy dress. Not that she cares. She's wearing her black leggings and white converse. No high tops though, she rather likes them being below her ankle.

Her hair is up in a messy bun and it's her favourite style to wear it as. Not that anyone will ever find that out. Her art room's walls are white cloths as well as the floor. It's a white canvas with random splatters from previous projects as decoration.

Things with Dan haven't worked out and it breaks Blair's heart to know that he's with Georgina. He seems happy and in the end that's all that matters but it still hurts.

The doorbell goes then and Blair's brow furrows. It's eleven pm. Who knocks on the door at 11 pm?

She finishes her signature on the painting and sets her brushes down. The brunette smooths out the wrinkles in her dress as she walks out of the room, not forgetting to shut the door behind her. No one needs to know her secret.

She checks her reflection quick and chuckles at the red pain that stains her cheek. She doesn't wip it away though; it's late. No one will care.

That is until she opens the door and gasps.

There, in the flesh, is Dan Humphrey and he's holding roses.

…

Dan wasn't entirely sure how to find Blair when he left the gallery. So he headed back to his sister's café and asked her where Blair lived. It took a little convincing (more like a lot of promises) to get Jenny to tell him where she lived.

And all the blonde said was, "It's about damn time."

So he made a quick stop at the flower shop getting a few roses. Not too many though, Blair hates too many flowers. She thinks it's tacky.

He runs up a bunch of stairs until he arrives at a brick hallway. He didn't think Blair would live in Brooklyn but she is and it's goes to show that she's different than who she used to be, and Dan loves it.

He approaches the door and knocks. He hears faint movement and soon the door opens and his breath is taken away. She's stunning and has paint on her cheek. He knows she's the one right then and there.

…

Blair lets him in, unsure of why he's here though the fluttering in her chest tells her otherwise.

"So, Dan, what brings you here?"

"You never told me you lived in Brooklyn."

"You never asked."

Dan sets the flowers aside and pulls Blair into his arms, brushing the stray curls behind her ears. He has to ask her…he has to know…

"Are you Gossip Girl?"

She pulls herself back and takes his hand, leading through a hallway to a closed door. She steps aside and ushers him to open it. He does and he jaw drops at the sight.

It's a mess, but it's her mess and off to the side lay many canvases, some done, some blank. In the middle is an easel and as he approaches it he looks in the corner and sure enough, there's the tiny, black, xoxo in Blair's every simplistic handwriting. He turns and looks to Blair smiling. She looks fearful so he pulls her into his arms and places his forehead against hers. Her big doe eyes look into his and his grin grows.

"I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly."

And then he kisses her and she kisses him back, cradling his face with such preciousness it takes his breath away. Jenny's words ring in his ears and he realizes that Blair is simply something beautiful. It's not just her looks, or the way she acts, but just her.

And he loves her for it.

…

**A/N: Definitely my longest one shot. Hope all you Dair fans enjoy!**

**~ Ember G.**


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